School of Computer ScienceSchool of Computer ScienceMcGill UniversityMcGill University

Copyright © 2002 Women@SCS

All Rights Reserved

Outreach RoadshowOutreach Roadshow

presents thepresents the

Supported in part by the NSF-ALADDIN CenterCarnegie Mellon University

Who can do Who can do Computer ScienceComputer Science

??

We are all computer scientists!We are all computer scientists!

Guess who are the Computer Guess who are the Computer Scientists in the following pictures: Scientists in the following pictures:

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What can you do with What can you do with Computer ScienceComputer Science

you have a pair of scales you have 12 coins 11 weigh the same the other is heavier

How do you find the heavy coin if you are allowed 3 weighings?

LearnLearn how to build Algorithms ...how to build Algorithms ...a sequence of steps/instructions to solve a problem

Algorithm type Puzzle 1.Algorithm type Puzzle 1.

Programming Programming a computer can only do what it is told to

do a program is a set of instructions telling

a machine what to do. programming involves learning how to

write instructions that do specific tasks

Programming is an important part of computer science ……

BUT COMPUTER SCIENCE IS SO MUCH

MORE!

Foundations of ComputingFoundations of Computing

Can we write for each function f:N->N a computer program that computes it?

Can we write a program which enumerates allfunctions f:N->N?

There are zillions of programming languages…

What makes a good programming language? Why should we choose one language over another?How do we design new programming languages?

Ion trap

7 trapped ions© R. Blatt, Innsbruck

Will the computers of the future be similar to the ones we use today or based on radically different principles?

As individual logical components reach the atomic scale, the laws of logic themselves change!

Designing computers for the Designing computers for the 2222ndnd century century

Security : How do you know Security : How do you know ……

That downloading and running games or other programs is secure?

You’ve done it 1000 times, and nothing bad happened.So you hope nothing bad will happen in the future…But can we replace hope and faith with trust?

Can we prove properties about programs?Can we ensure communication over the internet is secure?

Software EngineeringSoftware Engineering

SoftwareEngineer

Translating User Requirements into Quality Software Products Translating User Requirements into Quality Software Products

Neuroscience + Computer ScienceNeuroscience + Computer Science

Brain activity: what it looks like when you think

Light traveling into the eye

A neuron: your brain is made up of millions of these

We can use computers to see what happens in a person’s brain when they think, and to model how the brain solves problems

Medical Brain ImagingMedical Brain ImagingMedicine + Computer ScienceMedicine + Computer Science

RoboticsRobotics

Cognition

Action

Perception

CameraSonarLaser range-finders

PlanningSchedulingMachine Learning

ManipulationLocomotionNavigation

Robots that can swim: Aqua Robots that can swim: Aqua RobotRobot

Sports + Computer ScienceSports + Computer Science

Rhex http://www.rhex.net/

Robots that can play soccer: Robots that can play soccer: Sports + Computer ScienceSports + Computer Science

Robots in Health Care: Robots in Health Care: Health Care + Computer ScienceHealth Care + Computer Science

MarsLunar rover

Robot Flo speaking and dancing!l

Biology + Computer ScienceBiology + Computer Science

We can use computer science to find patterns in DNA, model biological systems, determine the structure of molecules, and much much more…

Graphics: Art + Computer Graphics: Art + Computer ScienceScience

Economics + Computer Science: Economics + Computer Science:

win the trading competition! win the trading competition!

Computer Science at Computer Science at McGill University!McGill University!

• Fundamental concepts in CS (42 credits) (algorithms and data-structures, theory of computation, programming languages and paradigms)

• Complementary courses (18 credits) (AI, graphics, robotics, networks, software engineering, bioinformatics)

• Electives (30 credits): Any field in arts and science.

• Internships in industry and research possible

B.Sc. Major in CSB.Sc. Major in CS

Combine computer science with anotherfield of study!

Some possibilities:

• Foundations of Computing (Philosophy, Mathematics, and computer science)• Cognitive Science • Bioinformatics• Economics• Linguistics• …

Major/Minor Major/Minor concentrationsconcentrations

www.cs.mcgill.ca

Class size and advisingClass size and advising

Small class sizes! (15 – 25 students)33 professorsAcademic advisorsUndergraduate research initiative

Where we are located...Where we are located...

Lorne M. Trottier Building, CS & ECE

What can you do with a degree in computer science from McGill

??

Software Engineer 3D Graphics Programmer Software Developer Finance Analyst Research Assistant Design Engineer Web Developer Game Programmer Application Developer Consultant

Job list courtesy of Kevin Collins, SCS Career Advisor

Jobs: With a Bachelors degree in Jobs: With a Bachelors degree in Computer Science you can be:Computer Science you can be:

Analyst Artificial Intelligence Engineer Automation Engineer Business Consultant Business Development Associate Documentation Tools Specialist Interface Designer Issue Associate IT Development Program Associate Patent Examiner, Computer Networks Division Quantum Computing Researcher Research Associate Usability Consultant User Interface Coordinator Web Experience Developer

Job list courtesy of Kevin Collins, SCS Career Advisor

Hardware and Software: Dell IBM (Toronto) Intel Microsoft

Arts and Entertainment: Ubisoft Lucas Arts Film Company Walt Disney Imaging

Pharmaceutical Companies: Affinium Pharmaceuticals Merck Frosst

Financial Institutions Goldman Sachs Morgan Stanley Merrill Lynch

Consulting: Accenture Deloitte&Touche PriceWaterhouseCoopers

Others: Bombardier Google Amazon

You Could Work You Could Work For:For:

Job perspectiveJob perspective

Many of Our Students go on to Many of Our Students go on to Top Graduate Schools:Top Graduate Schools:

Carnegie Mellon MIT Berkeley Cornell University of Toronto UBC McGill University Oxford, England University of Washington

We hope we have shown you that computer science can be many things …. and

computer scientists can be many different types of people ……. including YOU!!

So What is Computer Science?So What is Computer Science?

If you would like to learn more If you would like to learn more about anything you’ve just about anything you’ve just

seen, don’t hesitate to ask, or seen, don’t hesitate to ask, or email us atemail us at

socs@cs.mcgill.casocs@cs.mcgill.ca

Thank you!Thank you!

Puzzle 2.Puzzle 2.

You come to a fork in the road and meet a twin and ask the way to go. One twin always tells the truth One twin always tells lies.

How do you decide which way to go?

Puzzle 3.Puzzle 3. Three children sit one behind the other in a row.  The

third child can see the first two, the second child can only see the first and the first child can't see either of the other two. 

A teacher has a box of five hats, two red ones and three

black ones.  The teacher places a different hat on each of the three children. 

She instructs each one to call out the color of their hat

once they are sure of it.  All of the children are perfectly logical. 

Within a few minutes the first child correctly states the

color of her hat. 

What color is it?

Puzzle 4.Puzzle 4.

There is a certain type of rope that when lit at one end, will take an hour to burn. 

The burning however is not uniform and so it might, for example, take ten minutes for the first half to burn and fifty minutes for the second half to burn. 

You have two such ropes, but they are not identicalYour number of matches is not a concern. 

How can you measure exactly 45 minutes?

Answer puzzle 1.Answer puzzle 1.

split into 3 lots of 4 take the first 4 coins and weigh against second lot with one weighing you know  if the heavy coin is in the

1st or 2nd group because the balance will go down … or if they stay balanced it's in the 3rd group

now take your group of 4 coins and split into 2's now you can separate the pair and see which is the heavy coin.

To make this a more difficult problem try finding the coin of different weight without knowing if it's

heavier or lighter  .... think about it...

Answer puzzle 2.Answer puzzle 2.

You say to the twin "If I asked your twin which road to take what would she say? "

....and then you take the other road...

Answer Puzzle 3Answer Puzzle 3

Black.  If the third child does not reply first then she must be

confused by the hats of the other two.  If the hats of the first two were red, then the third would

know she had a black.  The second child, hearing the silence of the third

realizes that he and the first child can't both have red hats. 

If the first child has a red hat then the second child knows, since he cannot also have a red hat, that his hat is black. 

The first child, noticing the silence of the other two, realizes that she cannot have a red hat. 

Therefore, her hat must be black.

Answer Puzzle 4.Answer Puzzle 4.

You set the two ends of one rope and one end of the second rope on fire.

Once the first rope has burned out a half hour has passed. 

By lighting the other end of the second rope at that time, it will take fifteen additional minutes for the second rope to completely burn out.